As dusk falls in the garden, Roman Kitt waits with Captain Keegan and Marisol for Iris Winnow. When Iris appears, adorned with flowers, Roman is overcome with emotion and openly weeps, reflecting on long-buried grief and accepting that Iris will take him as he is.

Keegan officiates with an ancient set of vows while Attie escorts Iris and Marisol provides rings from her jewelry box: a silver band for Iris and a copper ring for Roman’s smallest finger. Iris and Roman repeat the vows and seal them with a kiss as Attie scatters flower petals. They share a quiet meal of soup and bread while soldiers rotate through the crowded B and B, briefly celebrating the marriage amid looming war.

When the common room empties, Marisol and Attie insist the newlyweds retire. Roman and Iris climb the stairs carefully because of Roman’s leg. In Roman’s room, Attie has prepared candles and flowers over a pallet bed. Roman asks Iris to read one of her old letters; with the stipulation he keep his eyes closed, she reads a piece about armor and vulnerability that moves them both.

Roman then produces another, shorter letter for Iris to read, but a knock interrupts them. Marisol announces Keegan’s town-wide blackout: no electricity or candlelight for the night. Iris douses the candles, leaving only one in Roman’s hand, and quickly reads the short letter—“I want to see you. I want to hear your voice”—before Roman blows out the final candle and darkness settles.

In the dark, Iris admits she had been afraid of her feelings but now feels brave; Roman counters that Iris has always been brave and made him better. They touch and kiss slowly, seeking consent at each step. Roman unbuttons Iris’s jumpsuit, and they undress each other with hushed laughter, mindful of Roman’s leg. Their intimacy is tender and exploratory as they fully come together, experiencing both awkwardness and deep connection, and Iris feels safe, whole, and claimed as they consummate their marriage.

Afterward, they lie entwined in silence, Iris listening to Roman’s heartbeat. Roman laces their fingers and asks that her hand stay in his no matter what comes tomorrow. Iris agrees, having already resolved to stay close and support him through any retreat, and jokes that it will be hard to get rid of her, ending the chapter on a warm note before the uncertain dawn.